If you have ever been asked to give a Powerpoint presentation at an event or conference, then chances are you probably felt a bit overwhelmed. But the truth is that with the right preparation, you can deliver a great speech and make a great impression in front of your peers and colleagues.
Preparing for the event
As with public speaking, there will be several parameters to take into account, namely:
The location where the meeting will take place, as well as the approximate number of people, will be important;
- Obtaining a common thread which will be the key message of the presentation, it will be kept throughout the presentation of the document;
- Developing an effective powerpoint presentation that aligns with your speech
Here are some simple tips to keep in mind the next time you need to work on a presentation:
Presentation design
For a clear, pleasant, airy presentation that is understood by all, it is essential that you:
- Choose the right background color and graphics
- Do not to hesitate to write big so that everyone can read the presentation, even the people sitting at the back of the room
- Favor fonts such as: Arial, Universe, bold and underlined to highlight important points
- Use landscape pages because they are more readable than portrait pages
- Do not use too much animation as this can be harmful, because the attention of your audience is greatly diminished.
- Consider enlisting the help of a pro presentation designer such as Launch Module to help with overall layout
Get organized
Before starting to work on your presentation, it is important to know where you are going with your speech and what your end goal is. “The first thing I do when working on a keynote speech is focus on the key points and result I want to deliver” says Dan Smith of KeynoteSpeakers.info. “If you know in advance what you want to put in your PowerPoint, that’s great. But take the time to put all your ideas on paper, or in Word first, then go back and organize everything.”
When organizing your information, keep these things in mind
- Start by putting everything in bulk
- Organize your ideas
- Make a precise, detailed plan
- Identify the objectives to be achieved by placing the study in its context
- Be concise, each page and / or each slide has a unique message to convey it will be clearly identified
- All of the data in these slides will be centered around the same theme.
- The conclusion should be clearly identified, you can discuss perspectives and applications there.
- Remember to thank the people who actively participated in the presentation.
- Too much information kills information: your audience will read the text and no longer listen to the speaker’s speech.
Keep in mind that in this step, the goal is just to flush out all your key points and look at them so you can put your story together.
Build A Storyboard
The storyboard is a kind of summary of your presentation, it will allow you to structure and design your PowerPoint in advance. The idea is simple: roughly draw your slide, then add little by little what you would like to put in it. Based on your detailed plan and insert next to the sketches what you want to cover in the presentation. Keep in mind that this step will save you time and allow you to have coherent reasoning in your presentation.
1 idea = 1 slide
When you are creating your powerpoint slides, it is important to keep it simple and not overwhelm your audience. Your slides must be clear and as uncluttered as possible. An idea is usually summed up in 1 word, or even 2. In some cases, we can use a diagram, an image, a Smart Art. Above all, you must avoid drowning your idea in text. Remember that your slides act as a representation of your speech. It is not the speech itself.
Stay consistent
Staying consistent in your presentation can be quite a challenge for a speaker because your initial inclination will be to try and give as much information as possible. But this would be a mistake. “The key to being a great public speaker is being focused and never wavering” suggests John Rogan of MotivationalSpeakerz.com. “Because speakers feel the pressure to make a great impression, many feel they need to overdeliver and this is not the case. The truth is that if you look at some of the top professional speakers, you will see that they are very concise and specific.”
Prepare for your speech
Mentally preparing for your speech is going to be one of the most critical factors to ensure that everything goes well. Your inner psychology and confidence will determine how the audience receives you. “One of the most important things public speakers need to understand is that your confidence gives the audience confidence” says Sean Adams of Motivation Ping. “When you watch politicians or other famous leaders speak, you will see that their tone and mannerisms project confidence.” So take the time to prepare for your speech so that when it comes time, you will be ready and feel good.
Giving your live speech
Here are some tips to keep in mind when giving your speech:
- Make a dynamic presentation using an active voice, not a passive voice
- Refer back to your common thread often so you stay focused
- Your presentation must be clear: you will choose a good rhythm of speech by varying the intonations to keep the audience alert and underline the important points of the presentation
- Watch out for tics that hold the public’s attention to forget the presentation
- Provide multiple media for files and / or a backup game in case of a problem
Once you are able to put together your speech outline and presentation and are able to practice it enough so that you have confidence, you will see that you can give a powerful presentation that will be well-received.